LIVE: Home ministry extends guidelines on containing pandemic till January

Coronavirus live updates: At 1,922,048, Maharashtra has the highest number of coronavirus cases, followed by Karnataka 915,345, Andhra Pradesh 881,000, Tamil Nadu 814,000, and Kerala 735,611

11:59 PM

Prohibitory orders in Bengaluru from Dec 31 to Jan 1

Prohibitory orders will be force in Bengaluru from December 31 to January 1 2021, along with certain restrictions, in view of the prevailing Covid-19 situation and the emergence of a new strain of virus from abroad, the city police commissioner said on Monday. The order will be in force from 6 PM on December 31 to 6 AM on January 1, Police Commissioner Kamal Pant said.

It will be within the limits of Bengaluru City Commissionerate, he said. The order said no New Year celebrations of any type, involving a large gathering, should be held in open places and park grounds and public roads. However, in-house celebrations in residential complexes and private clubs may be held for residents and members without organising any special events.

11:41 PM

Maha govt issues Covid-19 protocols for tourism sector

The Maharashtra government on Monday issued Covid-19 protocols on safety, hygiene, booking and accommodation for the tourism sector. The SoP lays down that people above the age of 65, those with co-morbidities, pregnant women, children below the age of ten should stay home and venture out only for essential and health visits.

The management should communicate these guidelines to the visitors through promotional material and social media platforms, it said, adding that self declaration form will be mandatory for accommodation units. "Tourists should strictly observe social distancing , family groups can stay together as long as they are six feet away from other individuals. Only asymptomatic tourists should venture outand those having even mild symptoms are advised to remain in isolation," it said.

11:38 PM

Bengal reports 1,028 new Covid-19 cases, 27 fresh fatalities

West Bengal's Covid-19 tally rose to 5,48,471 as 1,028 more people tested positive for the infection, while 27 fresh fatalities pushed the state's coronavirus death toll to 9,625, a health bulletin said. As many as 1,614 more people have been cured of the disease, taking the recovery rate among the coronavirus patients in the state to 95.85 per cent, it said.

North 24 Parganas district reported the highest number of new cases at 268, followed by Kolkata (200) and Howrah (71), the bulletin said. North 24 Parganas also reported the highest number of fresh fatalities at seven, followed by four each in Kolkata and South 24 Parganas, it said. Twenty fresh fatalities were caused due to comorbidities where COVID-19 was incidental. The state now has 13,161 active cases, while 5,25,685 people have been cured of the disease so far, the bulletin said.

11:35 PM

Punjab reports 269 new Covid-19 cases, 450 discharges

10:51 PM

Gautam Buddh Nagar records 27 new Covid-19 cases, tally 24,845

Uttar Pradesh's Gautam Buddh Nagar recorded 27 new Covid-19 cases on Monday that pushed the district's infection tally to 24,845, official data showed. Active cases in the district came down to 462 from 477 the previous day, as the recovery rate rose to 97.78 per cent, according to the data released by the UP Health Department for a 24-hour period. The number of active cases in Gautam Buddh Nagar is the seventh highest in the state.

On the brighter side, 42 more patients got discharged during the period, taking the overall recoveries to 24,294, the fifth highest in the state. The death toll in Gautam Buddh Nagar has reached 89 and the mortality rate is 0.35 per cent. The recovery rate of patients reached 97.78 per cent, the statistics showed.

10:31 PM

One more UK returnee tests positive in Telangana

One more person who arrived here from the UK has been found positive, taking the total number of UK-returnees who tested positive for the coronavirus infection to 21 since December 9. Observing that the Telangana health department is alert in the wake of new strain of coronavirus surfacing, state Director of Public Health G Srinivasa Rao said government is following a policy of tracing, testing and treating to prevent the spread of the virus, according to an official release on Monday.

Meanwhile, Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan said people should take all precautions instead of panicking over the new strain of COVID-19 which was found to be spreading fast abroad.

Soundararajan, a medical doctor, advised people to be extra cautious and follow all precautionary measures like maintaining physical distancing, washing hands and wearing a face mask to prevent the spread of new strain of the coronavirus, a Raj Bhavan press commmunique said.

10:15 PM

Nashik's Covid-19 tally rises by 216, toll by 5; 497 recover

The count of Covid-19 cases in Nashik district of Maharashtra rose to 1,09,335 after 216 people were detected with the infection on Monday, an official said. Five deaths took the toll to 1,955, while 497 people getting discharged from hospitals took the recovery count to 1,05,314, he added. With 1,857 samples being tested on Monday, the overall number of tests conducted in the district rose to 4,25,010.

9:57 PM

Home Secy writes to State chief secys for active support in vaccination process

9:49 PM

Covid vaccine dry run held in Gandhinagar

9:47 PM

Haryana records 351 new cases, 571 recoveries

8:39 PM

Already produced 40-50 million dosages of Covishield vaccine: Serum Institute

Serum Institute of India has already produced around 50 million dosages of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine 'Covishield' and plans to scale it up to 100 million by March next year even as it awaits approval for emergency use authorisation, a top company official said on Monday.

 

The company, which has launched the country's first indigenously developedpneumococcal vaccinePNEUMOSIL- for children, said the scaling up of the COVID-19 vaccine would also depend on the overall demand from the government.

 

In order to introduce an urgently needed vaccine against COVID-19 in India, Serum Institute of India (SII), the world's largest vaccine manufacturer, has entered into acollaboration with the University of Oxford and AstraZenecato manufacture Covishield. The Pune-based company has applied to the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) seeking emergency use authorisation for COVID-19 vaccine in the country.

8:02 PM

Maharashtra reports 2,498 new Covid-19 cases, 4,501 discharges and 50 deaths today

7:43 PM

PLUSS to supply temperature control boxes to SpiceJet for Covid-19 vaccine transportation

Delhi-based material solutions firm Pluss Advanced Technologies (PLUSS) on Monday announced a tie up with SpiceJet for supplying precise temperature control boxes to the dedicated freighter division of the budget carrier for COVID-19 vaccine transportation.

 

As part of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the two partners, PLUSS will supply its patented product, Celsure, for transportation of COVID-19 vaccines from the manufacturer to different parts of the country, a release said. The indigenously developed precise temperature control boxes, required for maintaining the effectiveness of the vaccine during transport, will be co-branded especially for SpiceJet's cargo division Spice Xpress and will be made available at various locations across the country, PLUSS said in the release.

 

"At PLUSS, we have been continuously working towards playing our role in getting India ready to effectively combat the COVID-19 pandemic, once the vaccine is approved for use," the company's MD Samit Jain said.

7:38 PM

Tamil Nadu reports 1,005 new coronavirus cases, 1,074 discharges, and 11 deaths in the last 24 hours

Tamil Nadu reported 1,005 new coronavirus cases, 1,074 discharges, and 11 deaths in the last 24 hours: State Health Department, Govt of Tamil Nadu

7:17 PM

Containment zones to continue to be demarcated carefully: Ministry of Home Affairs

7:04 PM

continuous decline in number of active Covid-19 cases in India: Ministry of Home Affairs

Ministry of Home Affairs says there has been a continuous decline in number of active Covid-19 cases in India, but surge in cases globally. MHA tells states to demarcate containment zones carefully, to strictly follow SOPs.

6:40 PM

Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Ashwini Kumar Choubey tests positive for Covid-19

6:31 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: 300 mn vaccine doses by July 2021, says Serum Institute

Coronavirus LIVE: 300 million Covid-19 vaccine doses by July 2021, says Serum Institute of India

6:07 PM

3,047 fresh coronavirus cases and 4,172 recoveries reported in Kerala today

3,047 fresh coronavirus cases and 4,172 recoveries reported in Kerala today

5:52 PM

India is a part of 'COVAX': Serum Institute of India

5:32 PM

Lasting immunity against Covid-19 found after mild or asymptomatic infection: Study

Scientists have found evidence of protective immunity against COVID-19 in people up to four months after mild or asymptomatic coronavirus infection, providing hope for the long-lasting efficacy of vaccines. The researcher, including those from Queen Mary University of London analysed antibody and T cell responses in 136 healthcare workers in the UK, who had mild or asymptomatic COVID-19 infection dating back to March.

The study, published in the journal Science Immunology, found that 89 per cent of healthcare workers analysed carried neutralising antibodies 16-18 weeks after infection.

The team, also involving researchers Imperial College London and University College London, UK, found most workers also had T cells capable of recognising multiple different parts of the virus. However, they noted that the two responses did not always persist in harmony, with some individuals showing T cell immunity but no evidence of antibodies, and vice versa.

4:58 PM

India's Covid-19 recoveries rise to 97,82,669, exceed active cases by over 95 lakh

India's COVID-19 recoveries rose to 97,82,669 on Monday and it exceeded active cases by more than 95 lakh, the health ministry said. There has been a steady drop in the active caseload as the number of people recuperating daily have been outnumbering new infections recorded in a day for over a month now. Within a span of 24 hours, a net decline of 1,389 cases from the total active caseload was registered. The country now has 2,77,301 active cases, which is 2.72 per cent of the total infections recorded so far.

 

"Daily recoveries have been outnumbering daily new cases for more than a month now. In a span of 24 hours, 20,021 people were found to be COVID positive in the country. During the same period, 21,131 new recoveries were registered ensuring a drop in the active caseload," the ministry said.

 

The gap between recoveries and COVID-19 active cases is consistently widening and stood at 95,05,368 on Monday, it underlined.

4:04 PM

Will review Delhi's Covid-19 situation by Jan 15: AAP govt to HC

The Delhi government on Monday informed the Delhi High Court that a meeting of the expert committee which is reviewing the Covid-19 condition in the national capital will take place on January 5. The submissions were made before the vacation bench of the high court presided by Justice S. Prasad who was hearing a petition challenging the order of the Delhi government reserving 80% ICU beds in 33 private hospitals in the national capital for the Covid-19 patients.

 

Following these submissions the bench directed the Delhi government to file its status report regarding the outcome of the expert committee meeting before the roster bench and the placed the matter for further hearing on January 8.

 

In a status report filed before the court, the Delhi government said that it endorses the recommendation made by the de-escalation committee with regards to de-escalation of reservation of 80 per cent Covid ICU beds to 60%, freeing up 20 per cent Covid ICU beds for non-Covid patients.

3:26 PM

People with severe Covid-19, secondary blood infections may have worse health outcomes: Study

People with severe COVID-19 who also had secondary infections in the bloodstream were sicker, had longer hospital stays, and worse health outcomes, according to a study that may lead to new treatment strategies. The research, published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases, is the first to assess the microbiology, risk factors, and outcomes in hospitalised patients with severe COVID-19 and secondary bloodstream infections.

 

In the study researchers from Rutgers University in the US assessed 375 patients diagnosed with severe COVID-19 from March to May 2020. They sampled 128 cases from the group that had secondary bloodstream infections -- 92 per cent of which were bacterial infections.

 

"These patients were more likely to have altered mental status, lower percent oxygen saturation, septic shock and to be admitted to the intensive care unit compared to those without bloodstream infections," said study co-lead author Pinki Bhatt from Rutgers University.

2:59 PM

Covid-19 positive Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat admitted to AIIMS

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat, who tested positive for Covid-19 on December 18, was on Monday admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi following a chest infection he developed during his home isolation in Dehradun, sources informed IANS. Rawat has been kept in the AIIMS trauma centre and a team of doctors led by the hospital director is checking on his health.

 

Sources told IANS that he has developed Pneumonia and was admitted to Delhi after his condition worsened.

 

Earlier, Rawat was admitted to a hospital in Dehradun on Sunday after he complained of fever. The investigations by the doctors there revealed that Rawat has developed an infection in the chest. Later on Monday, Rawat was flown to Delhi after consulting doctors at the AIIMS. The Chief Minister had been in home isolation after he tested positive for Covid-19 on December 18.

2:32 PM

Covid-19 vaccination dry run begins in two Gujarat districts

A two-day dry run to check the preparedness of health authorities for a future nationwide COVID-19 vaccination programme began on Monday in Rajkot and Gandhinagar districts of Gujarat. The state is one of the four states chosen by the Centre to conduct the mock COVID-19 vaccination drive.

 

"In Gujarat, the dry run is being carried out in Rajkot district, Rajkot city, Gandhinagar district and Gandhinagar city," State Immunisation Office Dr Nayan Jani told reporters. "The actual field visits will begin on Tuesday," Jani said, adding that actual (potential) vaccine shots will not be administered on people during the dry run.

 

He said local health officials of these districts and cities will engage in administrative work on the first day of the drive. Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation (GMC) has identified 125 beneficiaries in the city who will be covered during the mock drill on Tuesday, said GMC Health Officer Dr Kalpesh Goswami.

2:17 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: Dry run for Covid-19 vaccine going on in Punjab

2:05 PM

11 UK returnees found Covid-19 infected in Mumbai since Nov 25

A total of 11 out of about 2,200 passengers who returned to Mumbai from the United Kingdom since November 25 have been found coronavirus positive, the civic body officials said on Monday. Of these 11 passengers, five passengers had arrived last week, while the six others had returned before December 22, Dr Managala Gomare, executive health officer, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), told PTI.

 

Another official said samples of these 11 passengers have been sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune for genome sequencing to find if they are infected with a new strain of the coronavirus.

 

"Currently, 187 of the 590 passengers who returned from the UK last week are placed under institutional quarantine at various hotels," Dr Gomare said.

 

She said the state government had handed over to the civic body two lists of more than 2,000 passengers, who arrived from England between November 25 and December 22. She said all of them are not yet contacted.

1:38 PM

China jails citizen journalist Zhan for 4 years over Wuhan Covid reports

Citizen journalist Zhang Zhan, who was detained in May for her live stream reporting from Wuhan over COVID-19, has been sentenced to four years of imprisonment on Monday, Hong Kong Free Press (HKFP) reported.

 

She has been convicted of "picking quarrels and provoking trouble" for her reporting in the chaotic initial stages of the outbreak. Read on...

12:34 PM

Coronavirus update: Kerala has reported a maximum number of single-day recoveries